Thursday, July 15, 2010

Summary: The first book of Day by Day Armageddon took us deep into the mind of a military officer and survivor as he made a New Year's resolution to start keeping a journal. The man kept his resolution and brought to us the fall of humanity, day by day. We see the man transition from the life that you and I live to the prospect of fighting for his very survival against the overwhelming hordes of the dead. We see him bleed, we see him make mistakes, we witness him evolve. The highly anticipated sequel to the bestselling underground cult classic, Day by Day Armageddon begins where the first novel left off.

BEGIN INTERCEPTArmies of undead have risen up across the U.S. and around the globe;there is no safe haven from the diseased corpses hungering for human flesh. But in the heat of a Texas wasteland, a small band of survivors attempt to counter the millions closing in around them.INTERCEPT COMPLETE

Zombies are hip. They are the new black. They make people take up shovels and band together to trade witty banter. But wait, what if a disease did spread that turned our citizens into zombies? Would we lay down and die? Or worse yet, turn into the undead? Or would we perhaps join with someone who had military experience? Someone who might give us a chance to survive? Beyond Exile, the second book in the Day By Day Armageddon series, addresses these questions as we read the journal of an anonymous narrator, who is a military officer.

The author has written a dramatic telling of a world gone wrong. He doesn't use gore just for the sake of gore. The writing is detailed, as I imagine a journal of an officer would be, but there is also an emotional element that comes across. Beyond Exile is a must read for Zombie fans, but I also think fans of authors such as Tom Clancy would enjoy it.

I also have to give it to the author for having the courage to enter the world of zombie fans, who expect certain "rules" to be followed when it comes to zombie lore. They can discuss for hours the correct and incorrect way to kill a zombie. Not me. I love a good scare and a good apocalyptic story as much as the next human, but I'm not a purist in any sense of the word. Beyond Exile exceeded my need to be horrified by realistic zombie action, written well and at a fast paced clip. Good job, Mr. Bourne.

A ZOMBIE GIVEAWAYThe publisher has graciously allowed me to give away one copy of Beyond Exile to a U.S. reader. The contest will end August 1st, 2010 when I will use the handy random number generator to pick a winner. Simply leave a comment answering my question below. If you don't have an email associated with a google account on your profile please leave it in the comments.

Do you like your zombie lore with a bit of black humor, or do you like to be frightened with realistic zombie tales?

I love the dark and macabre! When it comes to my zombies, I see so much humor (as there should be, I mean, come on, we have mentally challenged walking corpses that feast on human flesh and suffer from a severe speech impediment!) in the stories that now and again, I want to see something that is really gripping. I want a scary zombie book, anything that has so deeply frightened me as Resident Evil. I love my zombies, and I'm all for crushing in there skulls, but I want to feel the fear that these horrific beings can show!